Legal & Regulatory Influences on Public Safety Communicators

Legal and Regulatory Influences on Public Safety Communicators examines the legal aspects surrounding primary responding public safety agencies such as police, fire, and ambulance services. There are a number of federal and provincial statutes, municipal by-laws, and common laws affecting the public safety sector in the course of their duties. Those who take emergency calls must be familiar with the law and how it is applied in emergency services. Government legislation and the court system are part of the foundation of this material, written specifically for Public Safety Communicators. The knowledge gained from this text is directed more at the call taker than at the dispatcher, as it is the call taker who will sort out the civil law matters from the criminal ones, the substantive and pressing criminal matters from the trivial ones, and the most appropriate course of action for those matters that remain. The dispatcher will act on the several decisions made by the call taker. This Canadian textbook is part of the Public Safety Communications program at Kwantlen Polytechnic University.